I think ALIENS was able to achieve that rare, “Better than the Original” status because it’s a slightly different genre of horror.

ALIEN prided itself on the suspense of slow, mysterious danger while the sequel, due to the antagonist being already established and well known, was suspenseful due to the overwhelming odds, fast action, and familiar danger.

Subtle tweaks like that prevent a franchise from, like most do, driving into a rut and spinning its wheels until everything that made it great is dented and covered in mud. I wish more series followed that example.